


USS Challenger

by Querion



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-28
Updated: 2017-09-15
Packaged: 2018-12-20 23:12:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 19,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11931321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Querion/pseuds/Querion
Summary: Admiral Kathryn Janeway and Seven of Nine head back to the Delta Quadrant on a brand new starship and new and faster engines. Janeway, as a Starfleet observer while Seven is a mission specialist responsible for the new trans warp and slipstream drives.





	1. Chapter 1

Seven of Nine walked purposefully towards her laboratory. She was going to meet her fellow specialists Dr Leah Brahms of the theoretical propulsion group or TPG for short, and Lieutenant B`Ellana Torres-Paris, specialist engineer currently stationed at Utopia Planetia shipyards above the planet Mars. Torres was the chief engineer on the USS Voyager. The half Klingon engineer ran a well oiled ship then. She kept her staff on their collective toes to ensure Voyager was functional. Even though B`Ellana had very little Starfleet academy training, she was a brilliant engineer who could put an academy graduate to shame. Dr Leah Brahms was a warp field theory specialist and professor at the Daystrom Institute. She could be brusque and even impatient when she was immensed in her work. Many of her colleagues considered her to be rude and arrogant but B`Ellana and Seven of Nine knew better. They had seen the other side of the woman. The truth was Leah Brahms often felt vulnerable and uncertain among colleagues and in social settings. Seven of Nine knew this too well. She has been and was still working on her social skills. Having been assimilated by the Borg Collective , a race of half technological, half biological beings, at the age of six years, Seven had adopted Borg-like mannerisms and speech patterns and Vulcan-like attitude towards behaviour and preferences. These traits made Seven endure what most humans could not. The trio made a formidable, impressive and brilliant team of scientists and became very close friends.

 

For the last few months the trio and their teams have been working on two types of engines namely the trans warp and slipstream engines. The meeting started by discussing the slipstream drive or slipstream engine. This drive was developed by Seven and B`Ellana as soon as they got back from the Delta Quadrant a few years ago. After several tests the drive was found to be unstable. The engines would heat up very quickly while a slipstream corridor was created. Once the heat had built up and reached critical levels, the corridor would collapse and the space ship would be flung farther than it originally was. This was inefficient, according to Seven and B`Ellana, well, it was efficient if one was getting away from enemy ships, but that was not the point. A pilot is supposed to steer the ship, not the other way round they all agreed. If they were not going to find a way to at least contain the heat or find a better way to disperse it effectively while the slipstream corridor was formed and maintain it, then they would put the whole concept back on the shelf and concentrate on the next exciting idea, the trans warp drive.

 

Seven of Nine went back home feeling she was missing something crucial. She did her usual chores, attended to the children`s needs and her wife and went to bed to cuddle with Janeway. When Kathryn was asleep, the Borg woman tiptoed to the study and turned her computer on. She looked at the enlarged simulation of the slip stream drive on the screen in front of her and sighed. She left the computer and went back to bed. Kathryn stirred a bit, murmured something, draped her leg over Seven`s thigh and started to move her hips back and forth along it. Her eyes were still closed. Seven looked at the scene before her. She has heard of `sleep walking` but wondered whether there was such a thing as `sleep sex?` The heat from between her lover`s legs permeated her thigh and seemed to radiate all over her body starting from the point of contact, Seven got it. 

 

This was what Kathryn called a `eureka moment,` Seven thought. She smiled and lifted the leg draping her thigh and fondled the source of heat. Kathryn was soaking wet with arousal. What was she dreaming about? Seven wondered. Kathryn`s movements became more urgent and faster. Seven flipped the amorous, sleeping woman until she was lying on her back. She parted her legs and entered her lover with two fingers. Janeway pushed her hips against the hand a couple more times. Waves after wave of pleasure washed over her. She opened her eyes to a smiling Annika hovering above her. She continued to lay splayed. She could still feel her nerves singing with pleasure and throbbing between her legs so she stayed where she was. 

"Oh, Annika it was such a wonderful dream, she moaned. Seven reached down and kissed her lightly on the lips.

..."and does my Kathryn require more?" The younger woman asked seductively.

"Yes please, Annika. I need you to fuck me!" The amorous woman groaned. She reached down and helped Seven move between her legs but the Borg had another idea. She flipped the admiral over so that she was on all fours. Pillows were placed under her so that her hips were raised. Seven moaned in appreciation when she saw the erotic scene. Janeway wiggled her hips in anticipation. Seven moved herself close to her wife so that her sex was touching Kathryn`s and entered her from behind. She thrust her hips in slow circular motions, her hands reached round to cup Kathryn`s breasts. She squeezed her nipples while nibbling a delectable ear. Janeway could feel the fine hairs on her rear as her lover continued to grind in a provocative manner. It felt so good it was positively sinful, Kathryn thought. The fucking at the back, nipple fondling and Seven`s frantic deep breathing in her ear and the soft grunts as she told Kathryn how attractive she was were enough to make Janeway cum. Seven followed shortly after when she pushed her hips a few more times.

 

Kathryn lay on her side panting and smiling at her lover. "Oh, Darling. Thank you for making love to me, for making me yours." She said and quickly fell asleep again. Seven smiled at her and pulled the covers over her lover and also fell asleep. 

 

The following morning Kathryn and the children were sitting at the kitchen table waiting for Seven to serve them breakfast, Kathryn caught up with current news on a padd while sipping at her coffee in her favourite cup with her name written in gold on it. 

"Darling, i`m sorry i fell asleep quickly last night. I didn`t even ask you how the slipstream meeting went. Seven looked at her with a seductive smile then lost it in a split second. Janeway thought she may have imagined it. She smiled at Seven`s back and went back to her sipping coffee and reading her padd.

"It is ok Kathryn. I think i made a breakthrough last night. I believe i have found the heat solution. I am so excited." Kathryn saw the seductive smile again. This time she knew she did not imagine it. Later Seven sent Kathryn an encrypted message explaining, explicitly, how Janeway had played a major part in the `heat dissipation` issue. Kathryn blushed furiously. She laughed then sent a message back to the Borg woman that she was glad that she helped.

Seven of Nine, Leah Brahms, B`Ellana Torres-Paris and their teams had an emergency meeting where Seven showed the team a few simulations about the slipstream heat problem and solution. If they built conduits along the drive to lead the heat away from the engine as fast as the heat is produced, this action will regulate heat. Extra heat could also help the freslin fans placed all along the drive to keep it to minimum levels. (Freslin fans were huge, powerful fans were Seven`s design. They had their own energy source, independent of other systems). In turn the drive will still function and the slip stream corridor will be maintained until the pilot can shut it off at will from the bridge or engineers from the engine room. Everybody was excited. They quickly got to work with renewed interest. They worked on the trans warp drive which was much simpler to build compared the the slip stream, probably because the main issue of heat build up was solved by the new material they had come up with. The team used this material to build the heat shields for both drives.

 

 

A week later a prototype was ready to be installed in an experimental ship. The USS Challenger was chosen. A galaxy class ship with a crew complement of 1000. It had 42 decks. In three weeks, the new ship with its two new drives were ready for its maiden voyage. Admiral Janeway was chosen to represent Starfleet as an adviser. Seven of Nine and the two lead scientists, B`Ellana and Leah, were to go along to monitor the drives` functions and efficiency.


	2. Work and play at the shipyards

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seven has more to learn about sexually inquisitive children...

A prototype of the slipstream and the trans warp drive were ready to be installed on the new ship. They had to be flown to Utopia Planetia ship yards above the planet Mars. The specialist team and five of their engineers went on the two hour trip from Earth (officially known as Terra in Starfleet and Federation database, even though many still called it by its old designation, Earth). Seven had brought her daughters, Lauren and Three along and Miral too went along with her mother, not because she was interested in the job which was to be done, but because she hoped her best friend Lauren would accompany them. The youngster was overjoyed when she saw Lauren wearing a red cap back to front, a long sleeved pale blue button down blouse and a short pair of jeans. The look was completed with a pair of white trainers. Miral watched her mother`s friend, Aunty Seven and her friends walking towards her. B`Ellana appeared from behind the Hansen-Janeway`s vegetable garden. She saw all the little improvements Seven had done to the place. The solar panels with batteries to store the sun`s energy, the solar pump which collected water from the pond and pumped it to the vegetable garden, the small orchard further along in the yard were all impressive. She declared her efficient by `patting` her friend on the back....very strongly, which made the ex drone wince and stumble backwards a bit.

 

The parents and children set off for Mars. The children, who had never been on a shuttle trip to Mars before, let alone a space ship, except for Miral who was born on Voyager, had a lot of excitement along the way. There was the energy efficient manneuvre where a space vessel used a planet`s gravity as a sling shot to propel itself to the next planet. In no time they were on Mars` ship yards. Seven of Nine had arranged for the girls to go to the lounge with large windows overlooking the Olympus mons, the tallest mountain on the planet. Miral and Lauren huddled together to admire the beautiful red, treeless mountain...with red rocks while Three thought the scenery was unremarkable. She made her opinion known to her two companions. When she looked at her sister and their friend, she noticed that they were looking into each other`s eyes. Three wondered when the subject of the discussion had changed? She sighed and went back to her analysing the unremarkable tall, red mountain.

 

Janeway made Seven promise that she consider having a chaperone for the two older girls but her wife dismissed it stating that Lauren and Miral would not do anything `inefficient` while on the trip. They were merely going on an educational tour with their parents. Kathryn was skeptical about the whole thing but she finally decided to give the girls a chance to prove themselves `innocent.`

 

Seven, B`Ellana, Leah Brahms and their team of five worked tirelessly, by three o`clock in the afternoon they had installed both drives i the ship including the powerful fans. They all went for a well deserved lunch break before they headed back to Earth. Seven found her youngest daughter sitting alone in the lounge. She had a game of kaltoh, which Commander Tuvok had given her as a present. She liked it and pushed her reasoning mind to the limit by going to higher levels. Seven was impressed but not pleased when she learned that Three was on her own for more than an hour and did not know her sister`s whereabouts. The Borg woman sighed and knew that her wife was right about her suspicions about the girls.

 

Lauren stood up from her seat. She moved towards the large windows to get a closer view of some very `remarkable` rocks on Mons Olympus. Miral suggested that they will get a good view if they moved to a different location. So the older girls went to the facilities further down the corridor. Three had seen through the ruse, sighed and went back to her kaltoh playing. `Mother will be greatly displeased,` She thought.

 

Lauren walked in the toilet and looked around. Miral followed her. She had a goofy smile on her face.

"So you like girls?" Lauren wanted to know.

"Yeah, do you?" Miral answered with a question of her own.

"Like it`s a big deal." Lauren said while slowly moving towards her companion. She kept walking towards her until Miral`s back hit the wall behind her and there was nowhere else to go. The girl, being the taller of the two, reached both arms over her companion`s head, effectively trapping Miral in place. Miral seemed to like that. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath while Lauren kissed her exposed neck. They both moaned and seemed to be lost in their own little world when....

 

"Seven, my kid`s missing and so is yours." B`Ellana said walking towards her friend. "Let`s go find them."

"You are correct B`Ellana. Kathryn warned me of such devious behaviour and made me promise to have a chaperone for the children. I thought she was overreacting." Seven said thoughtfully. "She will be greatly displeased with me. I have failed!" The Borg said miserably.

"Come on, let`s go look for them." Three went along with them.

"Mother, the first place to look should be in here." The self made detective said, while leading the mothers into the toilet. 

 

There, in a corner of the room, were the two youngsters locked in an intimate embrace. "Children, what are you doing?" Both Seven and B`Ellana said in unison. Three had a mischievous smile on her face while Lauren dropped her arms to her sides but did not move away from Miral. The other girl hid her face in Lauren`s chest. 

 

Seven calmly said "Let us all go home and Lauren, you have to tell your mother and i what this was all about when we get home." Three stuck out her tongue at her older sister.  
Seven of Nine and B`Ellana looked at each other and a meaningful look passed between them. The mothers and daughters walked out of the facilities and headed to a waiting shuttle craft which would take them back to Earth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Most of the times parents think they know what their children are up to....


	3. Crew complement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Preparations for the maiden voyage of the USS Challenger are underway.

"Lieutenant Saley, i think we`re done for the day. I`m heading home. I`ll see you tomorrow. Now, if you`ll excuse me? I have to go and attend to a distraught wife who thinks she`d failed in her assignment! Ever dealt with a distraught wife before?" The admiral asked. Sameera Saley could sense rather than hear the laughter in the admiral`s voice. She smiled and shook her head.

"No, admiral. Shall i be worried? My dream is to marry my captain girlfriend and boldly dive into the unknown!" She laughed. That made the admiral laugh too.

"Well, in that case it won`t harm you to know the truth about perfectionist wives then, Lieutenant." Janeway had a lopsided smile on her lips.

"I suppose not." The adjunct smiled back at her superior officer. "I`ll just finish here and head home too. Jenny is due back from Deep Space Nine at 20:00 hours. I need to try one of your wife`s Improved Leola Root Stew recipes. She gave me the ingredients from your vegetable garden yesterday."

"Well, i wouldn`t recommend plain leola root for your girlfriend as a welcome home dish. She might change her mind about whatever nice things you`re planning!" Kathryn laughed. 

"I have tried the improved recipe, all i can say is that the kids love it. They even ask for seconds and thirds." Kathryn said while Sameera nodded her head. Janeway picked up her briefcase and left for the transport station.

 

On the way to the transport station Janeway thought back to the call she received from Seven earlier in the day. Seven looked defeated. Kathryn wondered what could make her stoic, perfectionist wife look so distraught. The admiral was relieved to know that it was not anything major, only the average kids` problems. Seven believed that Kathryn will consider her a failure for letting Lauren and Miral have what Seven termed a `possible tryst` in the Mars facilities. Janeway assured her that they were both learning to raise children and that everyday was a new experience and that they were bound to make mistakes on the way. That explanation seemed to have convinced the Borg woman.

"I will see you later, Kathryn. I will be sure to bring the children in one piece." The ex drone smiled at her wife and terminated the communication link. That made Kathryn smile more at the blank screen. She was pleased with the progress her wife made in regaining her humanity.

 

Kathryn stepped on the transporter padd at San Franscisco station. Once at Bloomington station, she took her hover car and headed home. Seven had just finished preparing supper.

"Hello, Love!" Kathryn greeted her wife as she walked into the kitchen. A warm, homey aroma of home-cooked food permeated her nostrils. Seven put the pan on the stove and hugged her wife then kissed her on the forehead. 

"How was your day, Kathryn? Did you manage to arrange the meeting with the Challenger captain? Who is it?"

"My day was fine, Darling. No, i have not met the new captain yet but i know who it is going to be. That part is not classified." She smiled. "The day`s challenge was to compile a crew list for the new ship. Coming up with a crew complement of 1000 personnel including families is not exactly my way of having fun. Goodness, that is six times plus a hundred more the size of Voyager`s crew complement!" The admiral exclaimed.

"I understand, Kathryn but will you let me see the crew list? Perhaps i can help you organise them and put them in departments best suited for them...in an efficient way." Seven smiled gently at her wife. Kathryn knew when to take advantage of her wife`s brilliant mind and she agreed to show her the list she had already made during the day.

 

Lauren, Three and their mother arrived home. Seven had ordered Lauren to tidy her room before supper. She did not want the chore to sound like a punishment but Lauren recognised it as such. The girl spoke very little since she and Miral were rudely interrupted earlier in the day. She wondered how far she would have gone with the delicious activities they had engaged in. Would she have made love to her best friend. Miral was very receptive to her advances. What will her admiral mother think of her. Had she broken her trust. Would she even be half the competent person her parents were? The young girl was troubled.

 

Supper time was lively as usual at the Hansen-Janeway household. Three and Shannon Jasmine had their usual contest of slurping their spaghetti and decide who finished their meal faster than the other, Seven`s futile attempt at stopping them, Janeway`s pretence to not notice them. Lauren would have been the usual referee for the contest but that evening she was not feeling very talkative. A new feeling had been awakened in her. She was in love, felt like an adult. Her sisters` childish game seemed uninteresting and well....childish. Lauren sighed.

 

Halfway through the meal, after moving the food around her plate, Lauren decided that she could not go on pretending to eat so asked to be excused from the table. Kathryn and Seven looked at each other. With a silent nod from Janeway to Seven, the Borg mother let her eldest daughter go. 

"Mamma, what`s wrong with Lauren?" Shannon wanted to know. Before Seven could answer Three decided to be her mother`s spokesperson.

"Shannon Jasmine our eldest sister is in love with her best friend, Miral. We found them `getting it on` in the facilities at Utopia Planetia. I believe she is embarrassed that we found her and her lover in a compromised position." Then the girl went back to her spaghetti-slurping.

 

Shannon Jasmine`s eyes shone with interest. "Really?" She asked but she was looking at her Borg mother. Janeway continued to pretend as if she did not hear what was going on at the table. She sighed internally as she planned on how to tackle the situation. Seven looked at Shannon then at Three.

"Children, discovering you love someone is a beautiful thing however, your emotional state has to be ready for the consequences. If you ever `fall in love` which quite frankly at your age is merely infatuation, remember that there will be emotional consequences which are not always favourable and even damaging to your well being. My advice is to wait until you are old enough, preferably age 25."

 

Janeway`s head snapped up. She looked at her wife incredulously. `Even i first had sex when i was 16. Twenty-five?!` She thought to herself but she never said a word. The mothers made it a point, a long time ago, to never counteract what either of them said in front of the children. They strongly believed in putting up a united front, as Kathryn would say, no matter how outrageous or ridiculous what either of them said. They agreed to discuss or argue in private. This approach made the children give them the same respect. 

 

Seven of Nine activated the large padd and put it on her wife`s lap. On it was a complete crew allocation of the USS Challenger. The work was so neat that Janeway could clearly picture every cabin with the perfect crew. She smiled at her wife who was sitting next to her. Seven looked closely at her wife then removed the padd from her lap. She carefully placed it on the night stand. 

"Kathryn, what is the matter?" She whispered.

"Nothing, Darling. I was just thinking about Voyager." She smiled at Seven.

"I see...what about Voyager?"

"What a resilient, focused and extremely intelligent and resourceful crew i had. I will probably never get another crew like that." There was nostalgia tinged in her voice. Seven nodded with understanding.

"Then this crew list is wrong. We must start again." Janeway looked at her wife with a puzzled expression on her face. She had learned a long time ago that everything Seven said had a meaning. She decided to just be patient and see how Seven`s list will turn out to be. Seven of Nine reached for the large padd on the night stand and set to work again. In ten minutes she showed Kathryn a complete list of the crew.

 

Advisor: Admiral Kathryn Elizabeth Janeway (Human)

Mission specialists: Lieutenant B`Ellana Torres (Human-Klingon), Dr Leah Brahms (Human) Annika Hansen (Human-Borg)

Captain: Jenny Marie Tomins (Human)

First officer: Major Kira Nerys (Bajoran)

Second officer: Ro Laren (Bajoran)

Chief pilot: Lieutenant Thomas Eugene Paris (Human)

Chief of security: Commander Tuvok (Vulcan)

Science officer: Elizabeth Shelby (Human)

Chief tactical officer/ communications: Lieutenant Harold Kim (Human)

Chief transport operator: Miles O`Brien (Human)

Chief engineer: Lieutenant Geordie La Forge (Human)

 

The bridge officers were divided into three shifts namely the Alpha, Beta and Gamma. Tal Celes was head of the three schools on board. Keiko O`Brien was responsible for the botanical gardens which reminded Kathryn of the alien, Kes, the Ocampan, back on Voyager. Kes used to be in charge of the hydroponics bay. Kathryn looked at the list and smiled at her wife satisfactorily. 

"Seven, remember we agreed to not bring work to the bedroom?

"Yes, Kathryn but i wanted to please you so i went along with what you wanted even if it broke our own rule."

"Oh? Why is that? Kathryn wanted to know.

"My special weapon is twitching for you!"

"Goodness! I thought we needed to work on your phrasing but i love your twitching weapon!" Kathryn threw her head back and laughed, exposing her neck to the waiting Borg who efficiently took advantage and kissed her there. Then the women pounced on each other launching a tickle assault at each other.

"Seven, for your information, i started having sex when i was 16. Wanna see how experienced i am?" Seven already knew that bit of information. She leaned forward, hovering over the reclining Kathryn and started kissing her.

"We will see about that!" The Borg woman growled.


	4. Delta dealings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The new ship sets off on its maiden voyage. Its mission: Exploration of the Delta Quadrant to test the new drives and continue where Voyager left off and possibly go further.

The weekend prior to the launching of the new ship, Janeway decided to debrief her family on what was going on. The children were given a choice to either go with their parents or stay with their grandmother Gretchen and Aunty Phoebe. Their mission was only going to last a fortnight. Janeway did not believe leaving the girls, whoever decided to stay behind, would have a lasting effect on their well-being. Seven, on the other hand, believed that they should bundle up the whole family and go together. They were a family after all, a collective, for that reason they should stay together. Finally Kathryn convinced her wife to let the children choose whether they wanted to go or stay behind. This way the mothers would be allowing the children to exercise their freedom of choice. That convinced the Borg woman.

 

Lauren chose to stay with her Aunty and grandmother. Shannon Jasmine and Three were excited and curious enough to want to go on the mission along with their mothers. Later Kathryn found out that the real reason for Lauren`s disinterest in the mission was to be with Miral. The Torres-Paris teen wanted to stay with her grandparents, admiral Owen Paris and his wife. The real reason was to be with Lauren. B`Ellana informed Seven who told Kathryn. Janeway thought that her daughter was just as stubborn as she was while growing up. Quite frankly, she still possessed that character trait, if she were to be honest with herself. 

 

It was saturday evening. Seven lay supine across the bed. She wore her blue night dress which Kathryn told her that it brought out the colour of her eyes. She could hear her wife doing her ablutions prior to joining her on the bed as per her nightly routine. She could hear water splashing and humming through the half opened door. She wondered how long her wife would be in there? Her mind then switched to the upcoming mission. Was it safe to take the children along? Space was a dangerous place. Perhaps she should be firm in convincing her wife to leave all the children behind. It would be safer to stay planet-side, surrounded by their loving grandmother, aunty, great aunty Irene, Peter and their school friends. The Borg woman idly rubbed her left hand up and down against her right arm as if she were cold as was her habit when she was uncertain or facing a major decision to make. Her aunt Irene told her once that her father Magnus used to do the same thing. Seven learned quite a lot about her parents from her aunt and cousin Peter. Seven smiled fondly when one day, during a family gathering at their home, she found Peter Hansen huddled together with Kathryn. Something on a small padd seemed to have interested the two so much that when Seven brought them two plates of food, the duo did not notice her for ten point eight seconds. It turned out they were proving to each other on finer points of command. Peter was an administrator in Starfleet based in Sweden in the European sector. Seven was brought back to the present when she felt someone standing next to the bed. She looked up only to find her wife standing there naked but her damp hair was wrapped in a towel. Seven smiled and sat up to see the lovely sight. She raised an eye brow when she saw the erect nipples and the seductive smile on the lovely face.

"Ah, that was worth the wait!" Seven said while pulling Kathryn towards her. When Janeway`s chest was in alignment with her face, it was a simple matter to open her mouth and pull a nipple into her mouth. Kathryn moaned and arched her back effectively pushing the breast into her lover`s hot, wet, eager mouth. Seven set to work rubbing her hot wet tongue back and forth across Kathryn`s sensitive nipple. She moaned. Seven reached her left meshed hand between her lover`s legs and groaned appreciatively.  
"Ah, Kathryn. Very good. 98% humidity is acceptable enough for me. Come to bed, my lovely wife., so i can make it to 100%." The Borg said seductively. Kathryn was caught up between arousal and laughter. Only Seven could make mathematics sound so erotic.

"I like it when you are ovulating. You become extremely sensitive and receptive to my touches. You let me do anything i want to you. Your inhibitions are lowered to zero. I love you, my Kathryn." Janeway could only moan, twist and turn as her receptive body responded to her lover`s touches.

 

As they lay sprawled on the messy bed, Seven of Nine decided that was the best time to `bribe`her wife.

 

"Kathryn, i can do that again if you like but do you think we should let all the children go with us?"

 

"Hmm?" Kathryn asked lazily. She was basking in an intense post orgasmic glow. Her veins sang with electrical sensations, her whole body was sensitive and charged.

 

"I meant that we should not really divide the family. It is wrong. I love all of you, each one of you means a great deal to me. You all make me so very happy. Please do not make me divide you?" She pleaded with tears pulling in her eyes. That brought Janeway back to earth from her orgasmic high.

"Oh, Seven. You`re suffering from separation anxiety. What you should know is that we are only going away for a couple of weeks. When we get back we should decide what to do with our lives. We don`t really need to work. We only do it to keep our minds stimulated and by the way i love the way you stimulate my body and mind." Janeway said with a low growl which caused Seven to shiver. Seven saw the logic in that and sighed.

 

Captain Jenny Tomins ordered her helmsman to ease the USS Challenger out of the shipyards. Everybody watched her on big screens. The galaxy class behemoth moved out of the yard with graceful ease as if it had done it for years. Space ships lined either side of the Challenger for a distance of one kilometre, as per custom. Lights flashed at the ship instead of the ancient horns blown when a new ship set sail, horns were ineffective as sound did not travel in the vacuum of space.

 

Tom Paris handled the ship with ease. The bridge was filled with mission specialists, observer and the regular bridge crew. Once the ship had cleared the dock, Tom flashed a light flare as a `thank-you` gesture to the escorting ships. Captain Tomins gave the age old order, which star ship captains before her had given.

"Welcome everyone. I am captain Jenny Tomins i would like to give a special welcome to the adviser, admiral Kathryn Janeway. I would also like to extend my congratulations to our three mission specialists and some of their teams, Lieutenant B`Ellana Torres-Paris, Dr Leah Brahms and Annika Hansen-Janeway. Without further ado let`s begin our mission. Our current heading is Deep Space Nine where we will pick our First Officer, Major Kira Nerys, then we head to the Badlands. Lieutenant Paris, warp one....ENGAGE!" At that moment, to observers, the ship appeared to be stretching itself as a rubber band would, then a second later it disappeared into a bright flash of light. 

 

Life at the ship yards went back to normal but with pride as the engineers and technicians felt a sense of achievement after releasing yet another galaxy star ship into space. Starfleet has achieved in its goal, once again, to boldly go where no other lifeforms in the Alpha Quadrant had gone before.

 

Admiral Janeway went to her temporary office on the administrative deck. She immediately went to work on her computer to commence a report to Starfleet while the mission specialists headed to the warp core on the engineering deck. The whole deck had engines and engine related equipment. This area had maximum shielding due to the energy released by the matter/antimatter reaction. The engineering team had agreed not to use the slipstream engine until they reach open space. Seven and her team went to monitor readings and compile reports for their colleagues back at Daystrom and TPG (Theoretical Propulsion Group).

 

"Captain Tomins? Major Kira Nerys reporting for duty." Major Kira stood before the captain, smiling. The women shook hands and Tomins showed her first officer around the bridge and then her office. A few crew members visited the station. Kathryn had some free time so she took the girls along and went to Quarks for a drink. Quark was at his usual place behind the counter.

"Admiral Janeway! Good to see you again. These must be your lovely children. Good to see you too, children. The usual?" The diminutive bar tender spoke as he magically produced a Summarian sunset for the admiral and two glasses of mango juice in under two minutes.

"Impressive!" Three exclaimed. "You are quite efficient, Mr Quark." She offered her hand to shake the bar tender`s. Quark smiled at the youngster and shook her hand firmly.

"It was nice doing business with you, Three." Quark said to the girl. Shannon Jasmine snorted while admiral Janeway looked back to see who was calling her. She saw a bald headed, distinguished looking man approach her.

"Captain Sisko! It`s a pleasure to see you again." Janeway smiled at the captain of Defiant.

"Admiral Janeway, likewise. I hear the Challenger is quite a ship. I won`t complain that you`re taking some of my crew, seeing what type of ship she is! Would you mind if i looked around?"

"Oh captain, she`s not really my ship. I`m just an observer but it`s an honour to serve on a star ship again." Janeway smiled at her colleague and Sisko went on his way. The girls finished their drinks and Kathryn bought a necklace for her wife. She was looking forward to a quiet dinner with her that night. `Any excuse for a quiet dinner with my wife,` Kathryn thought to herself.

 

The Challenger set off towards the Badlands which was an area between the Federation- Cardassian border. It was an area highly charged and often had plasma storms. "Shields up!" The captain ordered as the ship approached the Badlands. The static caused by charged plasma affected communications both visual on screens and auditory via communication badges. 

"Captain i`ve set the coordinates but i`ve lost visual." Harry Kim said.

"Compensate!" The captain ordered but Kim had already done this. Tomins, with admiral Janeway`s help with Seven`s input, had selected the most seasoned personnel to man the new ship. She did not want `green` staff when she faced the unknowns of the Delta Quadrant. She had heard too many scary and terrifying stories about this quadrant to go without experienced personnel. She needed all the input and help from each and every crew member. The captain also knew that Janeway was secretly gauging her competency and was under orders to report anything back to Starfleet Command. For that reason she needed to have a cool head, act with logic and at use all her command training. It was hard to live up to the standards of the greats like captain Jean Luc Picard, captain Amasov or captain Kathryn Janeway.

 

Tom Paris eased the ship through the plasma storms. Visual scans were unreliable because of the static caused by the plasma storms on the ship system. So he suggested to the captain that if he made little jumps from one clear area to the next while going across the Badlands, he may be able to steer the ship within a minimum period of time and less damage to ship systems. Captain Tomins was impressed with the easiness which the pilot showed in a clearly potentially hazardous situation. She believed she will learn a lot from each and every Voyager crew on the ship. Tomins made a point to personally know the Voyager crew.

 

Challenger traversed the Badlands with minimal incidents. "Engineering prepare to engage the quantum slip stream drive. Engage at my command. Heading: Delta Quadrant." Seven, B`Ellana, Leah Brahms, Geordi La Forge and the engineering team of the Alpha shift set to work. In five minutes sensors were calibrated to the right frequency to engage in slip stream mode. "Ready, captain Tomins." Chief engineer La Forge alerted the bridge.

"Engage quantum slip stream." The coordinates were transferred to the helm and Paris guided the ship forwards. A bluish corridor appeared in front of the ship and it smoothly went through it. To an observer on another ship Challenger would seem to disappear from view but in reality it had gone through a quantum slip stream corridor. To the ship`s occupant all they felt was a small jolt pushing them forwards for three point four seconds then everything went back to normal.

 

That evening in the admiral`s quarters, Seven had prepared spaghetti with mince substitute, the girls` favourite food. They all sat down at the table to eat. Shannon Jasmine and Three were very excited about being on a star ship. They chattered incessantly. Kathryn smiled and let her wife do the explaining. After the girls had settled for the night, Kathryn sat at the edge of the bed waiting for her wife to finish her sonic shower in the bathroom. When Seven joined her she produced a small box from her pocket and pulled out the necklace she bought from the Promenade at Deep Space Nine. It had a locket with the family picture in it. Seven thought it was beautiful. 

"Now you`ll always have Lauren and the rest of us with you." Kathryn hugged her wife.

"Thank you, my Kathryn." Seven hugged her back.

 

Captain Tomins called a staff meeting of the alpha team. Overnight the ship had come in contact with a tattered escape pod but it was functional. The sole occupant was barely alive. The pod was brought aboard and placed within a force field. The humanoid with the strangest hairstyle the captain had seen was treated for minor injuries. His main problem was dehydration and malnutrition. When admiral Janeway heard the captain`s description of the humanoid male with the strangest hairstyle and passionate hatred for women and addressed the captain as `this female,` Janeway and Tom Paris laughed and immediately said "Kazon!" in unison. Dr Lewis Zimerman had come along and resumed his position as Chief Medical Officer. He briefly gave the story about Janeway and the Kazon and the way the race viewed women. Tomins was disgusted but remained professional enough to continue with the debriefing.

 

Janeway, captain Tomins and chief of security Tuvok entered the state of the art sick bay. There on one of the biobed, was the First Maje Jal Culluh, leader of the Kazon Ogla, one of the nomadic, fighting Kazon sects in that region of the Delta Quadrant. He was still unconscious but looked well. At the captain`s nod to the doctor, he reached to Culluh`s neck and injected him with a hypo spray. The Maje`s eyes fluttered then opened to the blue gray eyes of....captain Janeway?

"Captain Janeway?" Culluh asked. "I thought you left this region a long time ago. Why are you here?" Captain Tomins could hear contempt and hatred dripping from his voice. She hated him.

"It`s admiral Janeway now, Culluh and you will address me as such. I was going to ask you the same question but that`s the captain`s job! Why are you here, stuck in a bucket in space, like a take away meal?"

"I will not be interviewed by a female!" Tomins really hated this life form.

"Maje Culluh, you will be interviewed by Captain Tomins, here, as Starfleet protocols dictate. Believe me, you do not wish to be interviewed by the security staff!" Tuvok warned him. "I strongly recommend that you give my two superior officers, here, their due respects." Tuvok bowed to the captain then the admiral and went back to the bridge.

 

Admiral Janeway later read the report her security chief compiled that Culluh had been rejected by other Kazon sects and stripped off of his leadership. He argued then they threw him off his ship by placing him in an escape pod. Their reason for doing so was unclear. He asked if he could be taken to the Federation as his life was in danger. Janeway warned the captain that it could be a trap. Tomins knew of Voyager`s capture by the Kazon and that they used a similar approach. Counsellor Pat Manning had done a psychological profile on the Kazon. Her report revealed the captain`s suspicion. Culluh, having fallen out with the other Kazon sects, in his last attempt, tried to capture a large and powerful ship so that he could prove himself worthy of something. Janeway recommended that he be treated well then transported back to his home world. The captain felt that was a good idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the kudos and comments :) Please tell me what you think :)


	5. Leah loosens up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One of the mission specialists lets her hair down...

The new galaxy class star ship set off from the Kazon territory to continue its journey tracing Voyager`s route. The ship had not used the trans warp drive yet but the slip stream drive had fared as expected. Commander La Forge suggested to his team that they should celebrate. The captain agreed. She saw it as a way of socialising with the crew and they should at least know their captain. Tomins had invited the admiral and urged everybody to attend except the Beta team. They were to take over duty from the Alpha team. 

 

That evening, everybody except Lieutenant Comander Tuvok and Seven of Nine, was in a party mood. Tuvok was Vulcan and his race tended to suppress emotions. Seven of Nine on the other hand, was human but she was raised by Borg. They too found emotions irrelevant so they tended to purge them from their drones. Seven had learned to smile and laugh again but she still felt uncomfortable in large gatherings such as parties. She also disliked the irrelevant discussions which came about by drunk colleagues. She did not understand why males flirted with her even though she was married. She thought it was inefficient to keep proving to them that she was unavailable. Once Seven got so frustrated at a party, where a man pestered her for a date all evening. Seven had already told him, repeatedly, that she was married. The man got even more determined probably thinking that the Borg was playing `hard to get.` So the ex drone excused herself and went to fetch Kathryn and kiss her long and slow right in the man`s presence. Suffice it to say that the man never bothered her again. Janeway was dazed and was not sure exactly where she was. Whenever she attended a party with Janeway, which Kathryn had to nag her and keep reminding her weeks in advance, the ex drone would block out all the noise and only concentrate on her wife, the doctor or anybody she was familiar with. Janeway knew of her partner`s discomfort in social gatherings but she hoped that one day the Borg woman would be free from social anxiety and mingle freely.

 

Leah Brahms called B`Ellana Torres-Paris to urgently meet her in her quarters. She had sounded anxious so Torres agreed to see her straight away. Leah was sitting on her bed surrounded by different outfits. She wanted B`Ellana to help her choose the best. B`Ellana in turn contacted Seven and the three had the perfect outfit for the shy woman. B`Ellana and Seven learned that Leah Brahms wanted to impress the chief engineer. Leah and Geordi worked together briefly on the Enterprise D. Geordi had been interested in starting a relationship with her but Leah was involved with another man. She had not been in a relationship ever since they broke up five years ago. Leah felt ready to get in the dating game again, at least in her head. She sighed. Did she still remember the dating rules? Was she really ready for this? She did not have an answer to these questions but she knew one thing and that was that night she was going to talk to Geordi.

 

"Remember when i found the holographic represetation of me in engineering? You should have seen the look on your face! Leah and Geordi laughed. It was a good strategy. They were both tensed up and unsure of how to proceed. The amusing story did its job to `break the ice` as it were. A few synthehol glasses later, the two were talking freely. Synthehol was a form of alcohol without the active ingredient which caused inebriation. So it was unclear as to what caused the two to loosen up as they did. Seven and B`Ellana watched their friend discreetly and with interest. A few more drinking and dancing later the two left together. Leah insisted they wet to the observation lounge to watch the Delta Quadrant stars while Geordi thought all stars were the same and unremarkable. Finally Leah agreed to go to her quarters with her date.

 

Admiral Janeway stood in a corner of the bar which the crew simply called The X. She slowly sipped at her champagne while looking around. Three stood at her side drinking from a juice box. She felt `space food` was like Molly, their dog back home, had pissed on it. She asked her mom to ask her mother to cook nice meals like she used to do at home. Janeway reprimanded the girl for using such language. Three apologised and went looking for her sister. She found her Borg mother talking to the Doctor. He had a plate of crisps in his hand and was chewing on a piece. The girl looked at him in amazement. She put her hands behind her back and asked.

"Doctor, is that holographic food?" The Doctor looked at her and started to laugh.

"Oh no it`s real crisps, actually, walkers to be exact. Would you like some?" He offered the plate to the girl.

"Thank you for offeringDoctor, but no thanks. I already ate." Three said politely, causing her Borg mother to smile at her approvingly.

 

Captain Jenny Tomins and her girlfriend Sameera Saley walked in. The conversations quietened done only for a short time then picked up again. The couple went to join admiral Janeway in the corner of the The X. They talked about the Delta Quadrant and the species they met there and the crew excitement to the new drives.

 

Geordi La Forge and Leah Brahms had agreed to start dating and take things from there, Leah reported to her two friends. Seven and B`Ellana were happy for them.


	6. Borg bullies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Admiral Janeway meets an old foe, Three teaches the Borg how to play...

"Lieutenant Commander, sensors show that there`s something out there but there`s nothing on screen! Lieutenant Saachi Singh from the Beta shift said while double checking her readings on the operations console. Singh was on her first deep space mission. She was aspiring to be a bridge officer one day. She accepted the Beta shift which she believed would give her the practice she needed to work on the bridge. Hopefully she will be good enough to one day to work on the Alpha team. Tuvok, the senior officer that evening, double checked his sensors on the tactical console but could only see some faint unknown signatures, possible cosmic background radiation but he was not so sure about it. Suddenly a large Borg cube appeared right in front of the Challenger, completely dwarfing the large ship.

"Red Alert!" Tuvok shouted. At that moment all the lights dimmed and were replaced by a dim, eerie, red glow which flickered on and off. Captain Tomins and the Alpha shift crew including Admiral Janeway, Seven and B`Ellana appeared on the bridge. "They must have transported to the bridge!" Lieutenant Singh thought when she saw how quickly the alpha team responded to the alert call. She wondered if she could be that competent. 

"Captain, operations picked up unknown, faint signatures but there was nothing visually. When i double checked on my console i briefly saw the same readings which i assumed was cosmic background radiation. Suddenly this cube appeared right in front of us." The Vulcan officer said passively. "Unbelievable!" Singh thought when she saw how coolly Tuvok held himself. When she looked around the bridge she saw the Voyager crew either smiling or looking bored at the cube`s appearance. Singh learned an important lesson that to be an alpha crew member, one has to know what to do, be quick and above all have a cool head in the face of danger. This helps one make decisions between life and death in a pinch. It seems captain Tomins too had learned a similar lesson because she, too, looked around the bridge, at Voyager`s crew, and had an incredulous look on her face.

 

"Captain Tomins of the USS Challenger. How can i be of assistance?" The captain asked. `She sounded confident,` Janeway thought. `Impressive!` Seven raised an eye brow.

"We are the Borg. You will be assimilated. Your biological and technological distinctiveness will be added to our own. Resistance is futile. We seek to speak with the individual designated `Janeway.` 

"Why do you want this individual?" Tomins asked.

Admiral Janeway cut in "I am Janeway. What do you want?" A moment later the Borg queen appeared on screen. Her sickly mottled face filled the screen. Harry Kim murmured "How disgusting!" Tom laughed.

"Janeway! The Queen hissed. "You have what is ours. Return what belongs to us and we will be on our way." Keep what is ours then we will assimilate everyone!"

Admiral Janeway looked at the Queen then around the bridge. "Queen, i do not have what is yours, i do not know what you are talking about and i appreciate the `courtesy call` but now we must be on our way. Nice meeting you again!" Kathryn said sarcastically.

"You cling to sarcasm but that will not get you anywhere! Give me Seven of Nine. She is mine and i will go!"

"I will not give you Seven of Nine. She is not yours. You stole her in the first place, forced your twisted ideals on her and now you have the audacity to claim that she is yours?!" Please Queen, don`t make me force you to leave. I will let you practise your individuality by letting you leave on your own. Wait, you don`t know what `individuality` is! It is a wonderful thing. You should try it!" The bridge crew laughed. 

 

At that moment a green beam of light shot from the cube and attached itself on the Challenger. 

"Captain, a child has been beamed from the ship onto the cube!" Harry Kim reported calmly as if he was reading a particularly boring report. Captain Tomins noticed that Tuvok was discreetly spying on the cube checking for tactical weaknesses. He turned to the admiral and nodded his head ever so slightly. An understanding passed between them.

"Queen, now you have really angered me! You are not supposed to take things, especially people and technology from others without permission. That is stealing. Now give me back my person and we will part peacefully. If you ignore this then know that you have committed an act of war."

 

The cube turned around and a moment later...."They`re charging weapons!" Harry Kim reported. 

"Fire photon torpedoes!" The captain ordered. A few fire exchanges later, an orange beam sliced through the Challenger`s hull as if it were a hot knife through butter. The captain was struck and thrown to the deck. She instantly fell unconscious.

 

The Borg cube went to warp. Janeway took charge and ordered the helmsman to pursue the cube. When the cube went to trans warp speed Kathryn, who had now been granted a field commission of captain, ordered engineering to go to trans warp. 

 

Tuvok picked up the cube on sensors. Captain Janeway sat in the captain`s chair with her chin rested in her hand. She had learned that the child was was abducted was none other than her daughter, Three. She wondered what her wife would think of her. Seven did warn her about the dangers of space, and suggested that they leave the children home where they would be safe. Will Seven forgive her? Janeway allowed herself a brief moment of mourning. A moment later she stretched up and ordered Tuvok to continue scans and not lose track of the cube.

 

Captain Janeway walked into sick bay. She found the doctor and three other medical staff working on the still unconscious captain Tomins. 

"Report!" Janeway barked.

"She has sustained extensive burns to her body. She has internal injuries which have been repaired. However, her damage to her nervous system will take some creative thinking to repair them. I have decided to keep her sedated in order to protect her higher brain functions."

"Very well. Keep me updated." Janeway said and returned to the bridge. She went into the ready room and ordered coffee. She then hailed her wife 

"Janeway to Janeway" 

"Seven here, Kathryn." Seven realised that when Kathryn called her in this manner it meant that the matter they wanted to discuss was personal. 

"Can i see you in my ready room as soon as possible?" Seven excused herself from engineering. She left Leah Brahms to continue monitoring the trans warp engine output and went to the ready room to meet Kathryn.

"Seven, how are you holding up?" She asked her wife while rubbing her back in a soothing manner.

"I am functioning within acceptable parameters." Seven said flatly.

"Not good." Kathryn said. "We will get our daughter back, i promise. How is Shannon Jasmine?"

"She is fine. Kathryn, could you excuse me? I need to get back to engineering." Seven said in a very small voice. Kathryn noticed the tears pooled in her eyes, threatening to fall. She reached in one of the drawers and got a tissue which she used to wipe her wife`s eyes with. 

"Thank you, Kathryn. I really must go now." Kathryn kissed her on the fore head and Seven left for engineering.

 

Six hours later the Challenger was half a light year from Borg space. Shannon was surprisingly composed despite of what happened to her younger sister. She followed her mother to the mess hall at lunch time. She asked as many questions as she could regarding the Borg and the abduction. Seven assured her that they were going to get her sister back as soon as possible. Shannon then asked her mother to use her tricom if it could be of any help. Seven thanked her daughter and hugged her. Shannon left in search of a replicator. She liked to simply replicate things and watch as they materialise on the small receptacle.

 

Green light, crackling sounds and Borg walking all over the place was a common thing in the cube, Three noted. She was not afraid, just curious. She was escoterd through mazes of corridors by two tall drones. Three refused to have her hands held by them.

"My ambulatory functions are within normal parameters, I can walk. Thank you."

 

Three and the two drones beside her watched as the large contraption descended to meet the spindly spine in the middle. It attached itself to the spine, completely encassing it. A head at to top of it became alive and smiled at the Human girl. When the whole thing was attached to the skeleton-looking legs the Queen started walking towards the girl.

"Welcome to unimatrix 01. Do you have a designation?"

"No, but i have a name."

"What is your...`name?`

"Astrid Kelly."

"I see. The reason i brought you here is because i wish to experience individuality. I was too proud to express that to the adults on your ship. I have a reputation to maintain."

"I see." Three said in understanding. "What do you want me to do?"

"My drones are sluggish. They require some stimulation. We once assimilated a poet who said `all work and no play makes John a dull boy.` We are still trying to find out what this means. It perfectly describes the drones. I could restore their ability to play but i need to know exactly what `play` is. Can you help us?"

 

Three walked around one hand bent across her back, the other supporting her chin, in deep thought. Finally she looked up at the Queen, smiling.

"Madam Queen. I know what you should do! First i want us to strike a deal. I teach you to play, you let me go to my ship. Understood?" The Borg Queen thought the girl was adorable and cute. No, she will ot assimilate her. "Where did that come from?" She wondered.

"Very well. You teach us to play, we let you go back to your ship. They were about to shake hands and Three had spat in her palm. The Queen looked at the girl curiously then "I do not have saliva to spit in my palm."

"Any cream will do!" Three said and waited. The girl was trying to buy as much time as she could. She knew that the Borg was a dangerous race, they could assimilate her instantly so the logical thing to do was to be diplomatic and friendly. The Queen brought some dark green cream looking substance which she produced from her purse for Three`s inspection. Three looked at the small cube shaped bottle with the encryption `Eau de la Reine` written in Alpha Numeric symbols in fancy writing. 

"Sufficient." Three approved. They shook hands with the two drones as witness.

 

The girl took the Queen`s hand and convinced her to cut off a conduit which they used to skip. Soon the whole Collective was skipping. They had cut off conduits from various parts of their cubes and spheres and were skipping nonstop. Three stood by watching and judging their performance. She timed them and ordered them to increase their skipping speeds. 

 

There was smoke in every cube and sphere. Most of them caught fire as they thoughtlessly pulled conduits to turn them into skipping ropes. Three got carried away and formed teams of different unimatrices to compete against each other. Later cubes competed cubes and spheres and whole colonies competed against each other aggressively. The winner would have to skip some more until regeneration time. If the Queen won she would get a `facial` and her hair treatment by Three herself.

 

Challenger dropped out of trans warp and came to full stop. 

"On screen." Captain Tomins ordered. She had resumed her position as captain as she was fully healed. Tomins wanted the admiral, Seven and B`Ellana to remain on the bridge. What they saw on the large view screen was most puzzling. There was Three sitting on the Queen`s chair with a small crooked smile pasted on her face, surrounded by skipping drones. At the centre was the Borg Queen herself skipping as if her life depended on it. Tuvok did a sensor sweep and found out that the skipping `hysteria` had spread throughout the Hive mind. Smoke billowed everywhere as billions of Borg were skipping and in the process destroying themselves and their ships.

 

Captain Tomins quickly convened a meeting. They had to get the girl out of there as soon as possible. Or she will be destroyed along with the skipping Borg. Challenger lowered shields on the bridge while the rest of the ship kept the shields raised. They could not beam the girl out because the Queen had ensured no one disturbed them as they played. So she had raised the shields everywhere in the Collective. Seven suggested they use an untested method. She brought out her daughter`s modified tricom and beamed `Ducky,` Three`s trusted duck friend all the way from deck 18, the Hansen-Janeway`s quarters, to deck 1, the conference room. It was untested, she warned again but she was willing to use it to save her daughter. The doctor was on stand-by as nobody knew what would happen when they used the transport. The tricom was to lock on Three`s skeleton and beam her from the Queen`s chamber and back to Challenger`s bridge.

 

Three looked around her and saw the frenzy. She thought of getting a souvenir, in case she got rescued. She took one of the data node and a `skipping rope,` which was really a conduit. She also got a piece of `hair` from the Queen`s head and a piece of the Queen`s `blouse.` The girl placed the items beside her and continued to watch the Borg skip.

 

She felt a tingling sensation. The skipping frenzy disappeared from view and in its place was calm beeping and familiar sounds of the Challenger.

"Are you alright?" Her Borg mother asked as she rushed to her side.

"Yes, Mother. I am fine but i have not completed my mission yet. I was going to give the Queen a facial treatment and hair treatment and...."

 

Everybody laughed. The self proclaimed Borg beauty specialist looked around.

"Mom, i am tired. Can we go to our quarters, please?" Janeway leaned the girl`s head against her chest.

"Soon, Baby. The Doctor must do some scans on you to make sure you`re ok then we can all go home." 

"Very well. Could you make sure the items i brought be placed within a force ten force field?" Tuvok looked at the girl approvingly and said "Certainly, Miss Hansen-Janeway."

 

"Let`s leave them to their skipping. We will come back and investigate what will become of them.Right now I think we all need shore leave. Helm, warp eight. ENGAGE!" The captain ordered.


	7. Aftermath and Three`s report

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three suffers from post traumatic stress disorder after she was abducted by the Borg Queen. She writes a report as therapy. She also reveals to her admiral mother that she wants to join Starfleet when she grows up. How will the mothers react?
> 
> If you are reading this chapter for the first time, all you should know about the previous chapter is that Three, Janeway and Seven`s daughter, was abducted by the Borg Queen. The girl taught the Borg to play (skip) and that they skipped themselves to oblivion...

Doctor Lewis Zimmerman had given Three a clean bill of health. His recommendations to the girl`s parents were to feed her, let her have a good night`s rest and counselling. When Three heard that she was to undergo counselling she ran out of sick bay all the way to deck 18. Once there she told her sister that all the adults were `on to her.` Shannon Jasmine did not understand what her sister was on about but she went along with whatever Three wanted. Shannon had always been flexible with plans especially those which involved conspiring against her parents. For a moment she thought about her older sister, Lauren, how much fun they would have had if they were all together on the ship. Her trail of thought was interrupted by Three shouting.

"Hey, Shannon! Are you going to help me or not?" Three`s voice sounded muffled. For a few moments Shannon Jasmine could not find her anywhere but when she looked in the corner, she could see a distinctive pile of dirty clothes. A moment later the pile of clothes spoke.

"I want you to barricade our bedroom door. Use Mom`s belt to tie the handle to the dresser. That should be sufficient." Three said confidently.

"What if Mama finds out? You know she has sharp ears. Sometimes i think she also has eyes at the back of her head, or something." Shannon said but she did what Three suggested anyway. She stood back to admire her work when....

 

Admiral Janeway, Seven of Nine, security chief Tuvok, the counsellor, captain Tomins and two security officers stood by while the doctor finished his scans on the youngster. The moment he said "I think we`re done here. I will compile my report and give them to you all as soon as possible." Three jumped off the biobed and ran out sick bay. All the adults present looked at each other in surprise. Captain Tomins looked at the admiral and laughed.

"Well, there goes our hero. Who knew heroes were terrified of Doctors!" They all laughed.

"I know that reaction well, captain Tomins! In our fifth year on Voyager my program was almost decompiled when i suggested that the captain should stay in sick bay for observations." Doctor Zimmerman said while loking at Janeway then Seven and finally Tuvok. Seven and Tuvok raised their eye brows while admiral Janeway had a crooked smile on her lips.

"I apologised, though. I really did not mean to do that. I was under so much pressure and".... her voice trailed then she took a deep breath. Seven had a small smile as she looked at the admiral. She thought Janeway looked adorable when she was shy. Seven shook her head and promised herself to make that shy smile appear on her partner`s face often. 

"Right now, we`re letting our hero escape! I`ll leave the matter in your capable hands, Admiral and Seven of Nine. Thank you doctor, admiral." Captain Tomins bowed her head towards the admiral and left for the bridge.

 

Janeway looked at Tuvok who raised an eye brow.

"I am not under orders to pursue a patient, admiral. She is not even a patient. So i totally agree with the captain." He bowed his head at Janeway and left with his two security staff in tow.

 

"Well Seven, let`s go find out what this is all about." 

 

The mothers walked in a strangely quiet cabin. Then Seven spotted Shannon emerging from the bedroom she shared with her sister. 

"Shannon Jasmine where is your sister?" Seven asked. The mothers stood at the door to the girls` bedroom.

"She`s in the Alpha Quadrant with Grandma Gretchen and Aunty Phoebe." The mothers looked at each other an understanding passing between them.

"I see. Now where is your other sister?" Seven pressed on.

"My other sister? Oh, you mean Three? I don`t know where she is." Janeway walked further into the room and saw a distinct pile of dirty clothes on the floor in the corner of the room. The pile of clothes seemed to `breathe.`

"Alright. If you don`t know where your sister is then we will just have to go to the holodeck on our own without her. We`ll eat that ice cream she likes so much without her. Oh, before i forget Shannon could you please recycle the dirty laundry lying the floor?" Janeway said and waited for Shannon to start picking the clothes up. When she did not move the admiral mother sighed.

"So you want me to do everything for you? You can`t even pick these clothes by yourself? OK i will do it." She moved to pick up the clothes when...

"Wait Mommy, i`ll do it." Janeway and Seven looked at each other and smiled. At that moment the `pile of clothes` sneezed ad Three stood up from among the clothes with a yellow blouse on her head.

"Mom, Mother, i do not want to see the counsellor. Please don`t make me go?" She pleaded and hid her face in her mother`s chest. Seven hugged the girl while Janeway rubbed her back in a comforting way just the way she did when Three was a baby. Three sobbed for a short time. When she calm the mother sat with their children to try and find out what was going on.

 

Janeway and Seven found out that their daughter, Three, had delayed reaction to the events she went through when she was kidnapped by the Borg Queen, being on the cube for more than six hours was too horrifying for a child. Her defence mechanisms had caused her to act in a rational manner while her fears were suppressed. Seven theorised. They realised that Three had to see the counsellor, but it did not have to be straight away. The girl agreed on one condition. If her whole family went with her. Janeway thought that was a good idea.

 

Three`s counselling session went on without a problem. She told the counsellor everything she went through, what she felt when in the Queen`s chamber, what she thought about the monsters skipping in the room. The fear that she might not see her parents again. The counsellor had encouraged the family to draw the picture of the chamber and describe everything Three saw. Three was also to write a report to Startleet command as a therapy, explaining what happened. She was a hero who was waiting to be decorated.

 

The mothers thought that would be too much for the already stressed girl but they agreed to have a small party on the ship, with the captain in attendance and the command team. At the small function, held in the X, Three whispered in her admiral mother`s ear that she would like to join Starfleet when she grew up. Janeway had mixed feelings about it. She knew how difficulf it was to be a Starfleet officer, the physical training, the mental demands, the academic performances... she sighed. She did not know what Seven would think when she informed her. What was important for the moment was to encourage the girl and support her. If she still wanted to be a Starfleet officer in six month, after they returned home, then it may be a real desire to do so. Kathryn hugged her and kissed the girl on the forehead.

 

That evening the Hansen-Janeway family sat down in the main room playing kaltoh. Janeway kept losing and was kicked out of the game. She sat reading her book of poetry then after a while she interrupted the game.

"Excuse me, girls, but i would like to talk to your mother, if you don`t mind." Seven raised an eye brow at her wife. The girls decided to continue playing the game in their room.

"Seven, i just got bored. I missed you. Come sit with me?" She pulled her wife by the hand so that the Borg woman fell in her lap.

"Anything for you, my Kathryn." The ex drone replied seductively.

 

"Three wants to join Starfleet." Janeway waited with bated breath. She counted to ten then... a sigh from Seven.

"Kathryn, we will adapt. Now kiss me, please." Seven said.

"Gladly." Kathryn replied.

 

Three wrote report before she showed her parents.

 

From: Three Astrid Kelly Hansen-Janeway  
To: Whom it may concern at  
Starfleet Command  
Stardate: 51327.6

 

I am on a Starfleet vessel, the USS Challenger currently in the Delta Quadrant. I have accompanied my mom and mother. My sister is also with me. The ship had encountered a large Borg cube. Dark green with black areas. It was dimly illuminated. This cube`s dimensions can be found on the ship`s data base. 

 

One day, space day, as there is no sun rise or sun set here, i was sitting in my room playing a game of kaltoh with my older sister. Suddenly i felt momentary disorientation then the ship`s surroundings disappeared from view. In its place was a dark green surrounding. I could hear crackling sounds as energy passed through conduits. I could also see a lot of Borg walking about, doing their business repairing their cube. 

 

Two drones took me to meet a mechanical being whom i assumed was their leader. We had to wait for the mechanical woman to assemble herself as she was in pieces. Her head was attached to a rectangular piece (dimensions in the ship`s data base). This piece slowly encassed a spindly spine which reminded me of the wiggly worms in my mother`s vegetable garden back home. This contraption finally attached itself to skeleton looking legs. Then the machine woman walked towards me and smiled. 

 

She introduced herself to me and asked me if i had a designation. I told her that i had a name. She asked me to teach her to play so i taught them how to skip. We did not have any skipping ropes so i suggested that she used some of the hanging conduits in her cube which she called a ship. I organised teams for them to compete. This would give them the true sense of playing. Unfortunately they ended up damaging themselves and their ships. I am truly sorry. I only wanted them to play.

 

I am also sorry that i did not get to give the Queen her much needed facial and hair treatment. 

 

I hope the Federation should make their ships safer so that children should not be taken away from them. An armour of some sort may be helpful, the one which works like water running off a duck`s back without wetting it? It may prevent transporting children and their toys from Federation ships. I was happy to make a new friend whom i call Queenie. She did not seem to mind when i called her that. Could you find out how she is and maybe i will see her again.

 

Yours

 

Three Astrid Kelly Hansen-Janeway.

 

The mothers thought the report was perfect. They did not alter a single word on it. Every senior officer had a copy of it and the counsellor liked it. Starfleet command was sent one via subspace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos are welcome. I thrive on them :) Thanks.


	8. Past imperfections

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Admiral Janeway finds herself in a tricky situation. She meets someone she used to `know...` A part of her longed for the past she shared with this individual.

Blue grey eyes looked into deep blues searchingly. She tried to gauge her partner`s sincerity. All she could find there was a blank slate staring at her. `Was it that bad?` The somehow unsure admiral Janeway asked herself. 

"Seven, i`m asking you to trust me again. I know i haven`t given you good enough reasons to do so lately," She took a deep breath. "You can check all my logs entries if you want, both personal and official. You`ll find that i haven`t done anything wrong. Please, my love, i beg you, could you at least look at me?" Kathryn implored with her wife. She was on her knees, in front of Seven, on the verge of tears. Seven looked at her for a short while. Her blue eyes cold and unreadable. Her posture was stiff, not at all like the human she had become. It seemed to Janeway that Seven had reverted to being a Borg drone than human. She spoke in clipped tones, just like she did many years before when she first joined the Voyager crew. Kathryn sighed. Her knees were now aching but she kept kneeling with her hands on Seven`s lap cupping unyielding ones.

"Kathryn," Seven finally sighed. "I have been watching your interactions with this individual. I have come to the conclusion that you miss your interactions with him from many years ago. I may not know much about human love connections and matters of the heart but i know enough to conclude that you find me inadequate. I am uncomfortable with this situation. I am hurt." Seven touched the left side of her chest, where her heart beat unbelievably fast, "but i believe i will adapt. Be warned, however, that if you choose to leave i will not have your...`friend` come close to our children." Her voice trailed at the end. The Borg woman sighed and got up to go to the en suite, leaving Janeway still kneeling. `Well, at least she called them `our children.` Maybe i still have a chance to apologise and prove that i can be a decent human being. Why on earth did i drink that Romulan ale? The bastard! He`s the one who tricked me into trying some! And i kissed him. Kathryn lamented over her foolish and careless move. One does not normally see how happy one is until one loses what they have. she remembered a saying, but right now she could not tell where she heard it from.

 

Kathryn knew she had profoundly hurt her wife. So much so that one act will not be enough to rectify things. She had to do something. A lot of little somethings. She sighed sadly as she got up from the unyielding deck. She stood there for a while, hopefully waiting for Seven to emerge from the bathroom. After a few moments of hesitation she gathered some courage to gently knock at the door. No reply. She knocked again and waited. Still no reply. On the third knock, the door swished open to a swollen, red eyed Seven. Tears were streaming down her lovely face in endless, small rivulets. Her shoulders were shaking, indicating that she was crying. Janeway felt like the most horrible person in the whole of alpha quadrant, correction, the alpha and delta quadrant.

 

It all began when Janeway and captain Tomins discussed their next route. Tomins thought it was a good idea to visit the planet where the Voyager crew were captured and had their minds altered and forced to work. They were all treated well except for the mind altering procedure they had to undergo in order to suppress their knowledge of their true identities. The health minister called it Dysphoria syndrome. Kathryn was surprised that part of her was very excited to meet a man called Jaffen. He worked in the same unit as Kathryn and they had flirted shamelessly. Finally Janeway moved in with Jaffen. Seven, too, like all the Voyager crew, had her mind altered, but for unknown reasons was quite protective of Kathryn Janeway. She disliked the man, Jaffen, with a passion. When Chakotay, Neelix, Harry Kim then later B`Ellana Torres, rescued the crew, Janeway returned to her ship to resume her duty as a starfleet captain. She remembered her interactions with Jaffen but the details were somewhat blurry, thanks to the diminished level of Quarran drugs in the captain`s systems. After a week the whole Quarran experience was a distant, blurry foggy memory in every crew`s mind. However, when the admiral saw the smiling face of Jaffen at the party in The X, her body remembered their past intimacies. Strangely enough while her body responded positively to Jaffen`s proximity, her mind was far from the experience. It was as if Janeway was divided into two people but shared the same body. How strange!` Kathryn thought.

 

Janeway remembered clearly three days before, Jaffen approached her, made a few jokes about being watched by the efficiency monitor. Kathryn had giggled like a lovestruck teenager and was completely captivated by the man. That was after Jaffen gave her three shots of Romulan ale. Then he pulled her in a corner and they danced together. The alien man had danced provocatively and Kathryn`s body responded to him in a positive manner. They kissed as they slow danced until B`Elanna Torres-Paris came along looking for her friend, Seven. She hardly recognised the admiral dancing so provocatively with a man who turned out to be Jaffen. In fury, the half-Klingon woman had snatched Janeway from the man and ordered a site to site transport to the admiral`s quarters. She then ordered security to take the man into custody while the drink was tested for chemicals other than alcohol. The Doctor confirmed her suspicions. Tuvok had arrested Jaffen, who later confirmed to Tuvok and captain Tomins that he planned to spike Kathryn`s drink and abduct her. He wanted his girlfriend back. All this happened while Janeway fell unconscious in B`Elanna`s arms. The Doctor found the admiral`s blood contained three times as much drugs and chemicals in the small shots, enough to cause harm to a horse. Luckily he reversed the effects and finally Kathryn was conscious again to face the aftermath of what happened.

 

Seven of Nine could not believe what she heard from her friend, B`Elanna. The doctor treated Janeway in her quarters as per the captain`s orders. When Janeway heard what she had done, she was mortified and wanted to make things right again. Unfortunately, it was not as straightforward as she had hoped things would go. She saw her family bond loosen right in front of her and she was unable to tie them again. It was as if her proverbial hands were tied. 

"Mommy, why are you sitting in the dark, all alone? Where`s Mamma?"

"Mamma is not very happy with me. I have hurt her feelings very badly and i don`t know how to fix things." The hopeless mother confessed to her 12 year old daughter.

"Aww, that`s bad Mommy. I haven`t seen you this sad ever since Three was...you know...very sick." Shannon Jasmine said.

"You`re right, Baby. I am sitting here to try and figure out a way to make her understand that i love her and you children so much. That there is nobody else in my life." She said miserably and sighed.

"Does sitting in the dark help you think, Mommy? The girl wanted to know.

"No, but it reflects my mood perfectly right now." You may turn the light on if you want." Janeway said. 

"Computer, lights!" Shannon Jasmine said. "Mommy, if you hurt Mamma so much how come you`re not with her or try to comfort her?"

"Because right now she doesn`t want me close to her. You see, your Mamma is crying. She thinks i like someone else i used to know. The truth is i don`t like this person. He tricked me at the party three nights ago. I would not want to be with anyone who tricks people into liking them. But it may be too late now. Mamma may not believe or trust whatever i tell her again and that is terrifying for me."

"Will Lauren, Three and i have to stay with Mamma when you go away?"

"No, Baby! I didn`t say that at all! I am trying to make you understand what is going on. Do you understand what i have been telling you so far?"

"Yes, Mommy. You are very sad because you are afraid to open your heart to Mamma even after you have made her very sad. Just go to Mamma and pour your heart out to her. I don`t want to live with someone else. I want my Mommy and Mamma. Together. In one house." The youngster said emphatically. She flashed her blue eyes challengingly at Janeway which reminded Kathryn so much of Seven of Nine.

"Go find your sister. I want to talk to you both and hopefully with your Mamma if she will agree to even look at me. Her voice trailed at the end. Shannon left for the holodeck where Three has been running a simulation of the ship with metal-looking armour all over it. Shannon entered the holodeck and stood silently shy of the door sensors. She saw the simulation of the Challenger all covered with metal which Three called `ablative armour.` Shannon had to agree that the ship looked impressive but unattractive.

"Impressive!" Shannon Jasmine said.

"Thank you." Three said distractedly. She was looking at an image of the Challenger without the armour metal covers on. Two characters, one of Albert Einstein, the other of Isaac Newton were standing next to the image and arguing over the calculations Three had given them.

"You, Sir, are confusing things. What i meant by `For every action there is equal and opposite reaction, i meant just that." Newton said in a bored tone which made Einstein flash his brown eyes in anger at his companion but he was patient enough to not interrupt him. "Let us begin....again. Newton said. This is my third law of motion. A force is a push or pull that acts on an object as a result of its interaction with another object. Object A pushes object B." He pushed Einstein.... 

"Object B pushes against object A." Einstein said with a heavy accent and pushed Newton back. "Zey are pairs, i know zis, you stupid man!!" Einstein finally lost his patience. If ze girl`s ship deploys zese ablative armours all at once, zeir force will cancel out and be insignificant. Her ship will be able to deploy ze armour wizout affecting ze ship`s velocity. It will be able to effectively go to warp , even trans warp in one of zose trans warp hubs. Ze ship can go anywhere in the universe within minutes!" Einstein said animatedly while Newton smiled smugly.

 

"Hmm, my point exactly. Newton said grandly. Now remind me why we were arguing again?" Newton said in British accent. The two holographic scientists laughed and shook hands. Three clapped her hands and congratulated them.

"Well done, both of you. Tomorrow i will give you a new hairstyle, Albert. On thursday, it will be your turn, Isaac. That will be all for now." Three said and turned to look at her sister.

Hey, Shannon. What`s up?"

"Our parents are `up.` Three, we have a situation. Sorry to interrupt your simulation but Mommy has made Mamma super sad. Mamma is crying. Mommy was sitting in the dark. She said the dark reflects her mood right now. Three, i don`t want our parents to stop living with us. We need to do something but i don`t know what to do. If Lauren were here, i know she would have figured out what to do." Shannon Jasmine said sadly. Three placed one hand behind her back and the other was cupping her chin. She walked around the room a few times while Shannon silently watched her pace. Finally when she looked up at her older sister she had a crooked smile very much like her admiral mother.

"I know what we should do. We should leave them first. Before they leave us. Here is the plan. Ten minutes from now we should go to uncle Tom Paris. He is in charge of all the ship`s shuttles. Let us ask him to continue the shuttle piloting lessons he and i started. I will tell him that you want to learn, too. I will watch carefully as he inputs his command codes to initiate the ignition sequence of the shuttle Marie Curie. Your tricom should pick the command codes up discreetly. Then we can take charge of the shuttle and go away." Three said proudly as if it was the most natural thing to say.

"Agreed!" Shannon shrugged her shoulder as if planning to steal a shuttle craft was the norm.

 

Seven got up from the reclamation unit and went to the sink to wash her face and freshen up. She emerged from the room and was about to head out of the door. The main area of the cabin was dark. Her optical implant picked infrared heat radiating from a humanoid sitting in the dark.

"Kathryn, are you alright?" She asked.

"What? Oh, nothing, i`m fine. I understand if you don`t love me Seven. I`m the one who should stay. You can go wherever you want." That confused the ex drone.

"Kathryn?"

"Dar..." Kathryn was about to say "Darling" then stopped herself. "Seven. Just leave me alone. I need some time to think things over. Why did you waste your precious time with me all this time, anyway? You knew i wasn`t perfect. Don`t bother answering that!" The confused woman snapped.

"Very well. I am going to the mess hall. If you...change your mind..." Seven`s voice trailed. Seven of Nine has had time to reflect on Kathryn`s mistake of kissing another person and her reaction to the situation. She realised that humans constantly make mistakes but also constantly try to better themselves by learning lessons from their mistakes. Seven wanted to talk to her wife about that but clearly Janeway has not had time to reflect. So her reactions were hurtful and brusque. The Borg woman also realised that Kathryn tended to react negatively to the very things she cared about. When Seven attempted to come closer, she would back away in fear. `A very complex reaction to things` Seven sighed and left the cabin. She went in search of the girls so she could talk to them, make them understand what was going on.

 

A loud blaring intermittent sirene went off. "

"Kim to captain Tomins, there`s been an unauthorised shuttle launch. I have lost helm control and can`t get a lock on the pilots. Two humanoids are aboard and are scattering their life signs so i can`t get a lock on them. The hangar bay doors have been destroyed. Force fields are holding."

"Compensate, Mr Kim." The captain said as she walked to the bridge from the ready room. 

"Aye, captain." A moment later. "I still can`t get a lock. Attempting to open channels."

"On screen." Two youngsters, Shannon Jasmine and Three Hansen-Janeway sat next to each other.

"Oh, snap!" B`Elanna said.

"Admiral Hansen-Janeway, Seven of Nine. Could you come to the bridge staightaway." Captain Tomins ordered.

"On our way." The mothers said in unison, even though they were in different locations of the ship. 

"Admiral, we have a situation. I tried hailing the girls but they only want to speak with you, admiral." The captain said, almost smiling but she tried her best to keep her professionalism demeanor on.

"Ladies, could you please the shuttle around. Come home. We need to talk." The admiral said calmly, not at all what she felt at that moment.

"We`re not coming back! We`re not going to choose between you and Mamma!" We want you both. Together. In one house. The cold blue eyes of Shannon Jasmine matched Seven`s when she was angry.

"Very well. If you return to the shuttle bay without being towed by a tractor beam, Mamma and i will come home and talk to you. If you disobey direct orders then we will have no choice but put you in the brig." Janeway threatened.

"We are only twelve years old, Mommy. You cannot put us in the brig! Federation laws clearly prohibit minors from being detained. The youngster challenged. Captain Tomins looked at Janeway then Seven. She was losing the ability to keep a straight face. All bridge crew, except for Tuvok and Seven of Nine, were in a similar predicament as the captain. Janeway had lost her admiral patience. She lost her professional stand when a couple of twelve year olds quoted Federation laws to her, that she had no right to detain underage citizens. The admiral mother did not care that 1000 or so crew members were watching the drama unfold. So she dropped the admiralty.

 

"Girls, could you please come home? Your Mamma and i miss you. We need to talk then Mamma will cook us some spaghetti. We will all join in the slurping contest. What do you say?"

 

Three looked at her admiral mother for a long moment. Something resembling a staring contest passed between them then Three spoke.

"Mom, you know i can tell when you are not telling the truth, right?"

"Right." The admiral mother said sincerely.

"I know you are telling the truth. We will now return to you to continue our role as your children. Both you and Mother. No foul play!" The youngster warned. Captain Tomins took over from the admiral. It was the least she could do to stop herself from bursting out laughing.

"Very well, Miss Hansen-Janeway and Miss Hansen-Janeway. Please turn your shuttle around. The hangar bay doors...or what`s left of them are open. Upon your arrival, i will meet with you along with the admiral, Commander Tuvok, Seven of Nine and the counsellor."

"OK." "Very well." Shannon Jasmine and Three said in unison.

 

Janeway hopped off the biobed. She had been given a clean bill of health by the Doctor. All the toxins from the spiked drinks had cleared off her system. Seven looked on smiling at her. Kathryn looked back at her wife. Shy smiles passed between them. They were grateful to stick together as a family. Whatever life threw at them, if they stick together like Three`s ablative armours, problems will wash over their backs just as water washes over a duck`s back in their pond back in Bloomington.

 

Seven was sitting on the couch in the living area of their quarters. Kathryn was lying in her arms. The ex drone played with her companions hair, rolling locks of rich, red hair between her fingers. The girls had gone with the chief engineer Geordi La Forge, who requested for the mothers to send extra crew to repair the hangar bay doors in return for leniency in the punishment Captain Tomins planned. The mothers had looked at Commander La Forge and shrugged their shoulders. They were agreeable to the fact that the Federation did punish offenders, both adults and minors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Human relationships are a tricky business...


	9. What happens in Challenger`s quarters....

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The successful test flight of the new star ship, the USS Challenger had come to a conclusion. The crew was happy to head back to the Alpha Quadrant. A glimpse of what happens in crew quarters.

The Challenger cruised through the inky black Delta Quadrant skies, its sleek and magnificent silvery glow reminded admiral Janeway of her old ship the USS Voyager. They had just visited Neelix`s colony. He had agreed to continue his mission as Starfleet representative to the Delta quadrant. Admiral Janeway and captain Tomins met with the colonists to discuss their needs. Janeway sent their request to join the Federation to Starfleet command via subspace. The Doctor and all the crew had exchanged visits and held parties just for the sake of having parties. Synthehol flowed freely and everyone was encouraged to join. Janeway found out that the Talaxians were a resourceful people, very much like her old Voyager crew. They will be a useful addition to the Federation, Kathryn thought.

 

Kathryn lay in her wife`s lap relaxing while Seven played with her rich, auburn hair rolling locks between her fingers and letting go. Janeway moaned in contentment and closed her eyes. She let the soothing touch wash over her and let go. She felt herself drift off.

"Kathryn? Do not leave me alone, now. I want to make love to you." She said seductively.

"Hmm?" Was the groggy reply. Seven peered down into Kathryn`s face to find that her companion`s eyes were shut and her breathing became slower to indicate that she was beginning to fall asleep.

"I mean it. I want you." She simply said.

"OK. Give me a moment." Janeway said and sat up.

 

Kathryn sat up, straightened her arms over her head as she stretched until a `pop!` sound was heard in her arms and lower spine. "That`s better." She sighed. She got up and disappeared in to the en suite. A few minutes later she re emerged and came to stand in front of her wife.

"I am ready." The older woman announced.

"Very well." Seven of Nine said distractedly. She was looking at Janeway`s chest, the irresistible nipples jutting out from Kathryn`s chest. You look....delicious! I think i am going to enjoy my `meal.` The Borg woman winked at her companion. 

 

The sheer eroticism of the way Seven licked her lower lip unconsciously made Kathryn shiver with anticipation. Seven reached both hands and pulled the older woman towards her until Janeway fell on top of her. Kathryn reached her hands to the nape of the younger woman`s head and pulled her towards her chest where she kissed her long and hard. A trail of saliva trailed from her mouth when she suddenly withdrew from the full, red, pouty lips. Seven pulled her back and kissed her on the neck, trailing a line of open mouthed kisses along Kathryn`s lovely neck. She heard her lover moan then looked sideways to give Seven more room. Kathryn`s legs fell to either side of her lover`s thigh where she moved her hips back and forth. Seven could feel the wetness through the fabric of her black jeans. She looked into Kathryn`s eyes and smiled at her.

 

With their forehead touching the two women looked into each other`s eyes even their vision was blurred by proximity it did not really matter. 

"Oh, Seven. I love you. I am really sorry for what happened a few nights ago. I had no idea what i was doing. My memories of those events are blurry. Will you forgive me? I will make it up to you."

"I have already forgiven you. It was not your fault that he spiked your drinks. I can never leave you alone even for a short time, you end up in trouble. What shall i do with you, Kathryn?" Janeway looked at her beloved and threw her head back and laughed. Seven looked at her. A moment later Seven grew serious.

"Now, i am very jealous, Kathryn. What else did he do to you? Did he touch you, fuck you? Answer me!" Seven flipped the admiral so that she was spread on the couch on her back, looking up at Seven with shining eyes. Janeway secretly loved the forceful Seven. She felt arousal coursing through her veins. "

Did he kiss you like this?" Seven thrust her tongue into her lover`s mouth and kissed her hard until Janeway`s eyes slammed shut multicoloured stars appeared in front of her. She moaned louder. Her legs went wider apart to give room for her lover who was now kissing along the length of her neck alternating with licking. Janeway shivered. She could feel her nipples pebbling. They ached to be touched, to be fondled. 

 

Kathryn`s prayer was answered when she felt a hot, wet mouth closing on one aching nipple. It very lightly sucked on it and let go. Janeway groaned in frustration at the loss of contact. She arched her back to try and get closer to the delicious mouth. Seven looked down on the aroused woman. The tousled hair spread on the couch, the pebbled nipples and the half lidded eyes full of desire, lust and want made the ex drone want to kiss her some more. So she did. She kissed the other nipple while pinching the left one. She could hear Kathryn moaning and feel her arching her back. Seven`s left hand moved down south to the auburn thatch between her legs. Her fingers lightly combed through it then the middle finger moved further down to tease the erect clitoris. 

"Amazing! You`re so excited, my Kathryn. That is good. Do you want me to fuck you? You are mine. Nobody sleeps with you but me. Do you understand? You are mine, Kathryn!"  
Seven`s hand circled the clit until Kathryn`s hips started to move back and forth in urgency.

"No! Kathryn. Do not rush. I will tell you to cum when the time is ready."

"Oh god, yes, Seven. Please touch me. Use your mouth on me." The amorous woman begged.

 

Seven of Nine reached her head down between her lover`s legs and took a deep breath. She saw the engorged pink seam enclosing the petals which hid Kathryn`s pleasure centre. Seven had the urgency to lick it, suck it, claim it for herself. Her tongue darted out to gently lick the whole seam. 

"Oh, my Kathryn. I can see all of you and you are beautiful. You`re very wet. Is that for me?"

"Yes, Seven. Only for you!" Kathryn panted.

"Not for him?"

"No!" Kathryn`s hips moved, out of their own volition to meet her lover`s thrusting of her tongue deep within her vagina. Uhn! Uhh! Uuhhh!! Se...ven...Se..ven...!" Janeway struggled not to cum. She could feel the delicious sensations converging deep within her hips. Liquid heat filled her as warm nectar flowed out of her. She felt Annika slow down her motions. Janeway took a deep breath when she felt her lover suck gently on her clit. Three fingers of the right hand entered her and began to thrust in a steady motion just like she preferred. 

"Kathryn! Stop! Do not cum until i tell you to!" Seven was punishing her for kissing Jaffen. She knew this was irrational but she allowed herself to feel this way for a while. It made her feel good, in control and possesssive of her lover, not at all within her nature but it was therapeutic.

"O...K...I will try." Kathryn said but when Seven forcefully sucked on her clitoris, Kathryn felt a tingling sensation from her nipple going all the way down to her clit. Her hips were on the move once again. She pushed her sex against her lover`s mouth in small, sharp, circular jabs. Seven alternated her movements licking the whole area within the folds and sucking her lover`s engorged clit. She sucked the whole area in her mouth until she felt a fresh gush of cum coming from the channel. Seven lapped it all up and resumed her sucking while Janeway felt a build up of electrical sensations.

"Uuuhhh! Uunnnhhh! Uuunnnhhh! A...nnikaaa!!"

"Cum for me, Kathryn!" She commanded. Janeway`s hips moved fast in a circular motion against Seven`s full, red lips as one of the strongest orgasms she had ever experienced washed over her. Wave after wave rippled through her deliciously tortured body until there was no more left. A few moments later Kathryn lay where she was fucked, boneless, panting with her eyes closed. Seven`s head was leaning on her left thigh.

"Thank you, Darling. I am yours and will always be yours." Kathryn said solemnly.

"You are welcome, my Kathryn and i will always be yours forever.

 

The two women smiled shyly at each other and continued to lay on the couch, one fully dressed, the other half dressed.

 

The Hansen-Janeway kids had completed the hangar bay door repairs and were heading back to their quarters on deck 18. Shannon Jasmine stopped her sister.

"Maybe we shouldn`t go to our quarters yet, Three?"

"Why?"

"Because...because...well... Mommy and Mamma are there. Mamma told me that she needed to talk to Mommy about something very important. Do yo remember when Mamma nearly stopped loving Mommy? So they need some quality time together."

A pause then "very well, shall we go to Uncle Tom and ask him to continue with our shuttle craft lessons?"

"What makes you think he will let us be anywhere near the shuttles again especially after what we did to the hangar bay doors?" Shannon rolled her eyes.

"We could go to the holodeck then?"

"Sounds perfect!" Shannon agreed enthusiastically. Together they went to the holodeck to talk to the Einstein and Newton holograms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this chapter when i was dog -tired but could not sleep... :(


	10. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Home at last, the family reunites with Lauren. The mothers discover that she has grown quite a bit, both physically and mentally.
> 
> Lauren, Shannon Jasmine and Three are decorated by Starfleet as the youngest scientists to have invented weaponry, eliminate the Borg and making a handy gadget called a tricom. Three has no idea that her ablative armour design was just the thing Starfleet ships required. She makes a statement that quickly turns into a meme among youngsters "I was not aware that what my sisters and i were doing was science!"
> 
> The kids get enrolment offers from science institutes throughout the Federation. The parents need help to decide whether the girls are emotionally ready for advanced classes and training.
> 
>  
> 
> **This chapter is dedicated to shadowcub, who has made brilliant suggestions for the story. I haven`t been able to include most of the ideas but we just have to see about that, don`t we :)Thank you, you`re awesome**

The Challenger cruised through the inky black skies of the Delta Quadrant. The engineering crew stood at their stations. The three mission specialists stationed themselves at the control of the trans warp engine. Voyager had destroyed one of them when the tough little ship got home years ago. There were five more in the galaxy. The mission specialists and Challenger engineers rerouted one of them in such a way that the trans warp hub had its exit towards the Alpha quadrant. This was deemed a safe option, now that the Borg threat was eliminated, thanks to a 12 year old girl, Three Astrid Kelly Hansen-Janeway.

 

The Challenger crew decided that this was a momentous occassion. They agreed to put on their dress uniforms. Captain Tomins ordered all view screens be activated so that all non bridge crew and everyone on the ship had the opportunity to witness the Challenger utilise Three`s ablative armour technology on its primary hull as it went through the trans warp tunnel. The armour would protect the ship from getting torn apart by stresses of the hub and great speeds as it went through the tunnel. The ablative armour or `water resistant ducky`s back or WRDB for short` as it was fondly known among the Challenger engineers, named after its designer, Three. That was how the youngster described the technology in her report to Starfleet Command.

"All crew men, man your stations. We are going to engage the trans warp engine in five minutes."

 

It was school time on the ship. Admiral Janeway insisted that her children stayed in class and continued their studies even though this was optional. Seven agreed with the idea. Other kids were allowed to go to The X Lounge and other communal places on the ship to see the deployment of the armour. Shannon shrugged her shoulders and told her sister that she did not mind staying in class. Three looked at her for a few minutes then sighed. She sat back down on the desk at the back of the class. Tal Celes, the children`s keeper and teacher, smiled at the young girl. Celes, was however wary of the Hansen-Janeway kids, who tended fall into trouble far too often, and she was to answer to their mothers`wrath. Nobody wanted to be at the receiving end of Janeway`s dressing down or the Janeway glare. Celes had to agree that the dressing downs and glares were much less severe than they were in the Delta Quadrant many years ago. She believed that the admiral had `softened` her look probably because she was a married woman and a mother.

 

"Operations, would you do the honours please?" The captain said. As Harry Kim did the count down, Admiral Janeway, in her capacity as Starfleet observer, stood next to the captain. Other bridge crew stood at their stations. It was now down to Captain Tomins and the engineering team to take them safely through the trans warp conduit. 

"Engineering, mark!" The captain ordered. B`Elanna Torres-Paris lightly pushed button on the control pad in front of her while Seven and Leah Brahms studiously looked at the readouts on their screens. The ablative armour quickly unfolded itself, as if in small metal pieces, covering the entire external hull of the Challenger. Everybody clapped their hands in appreciation of the invention. Admiral Janeway`s heart swelled with pride for her little girl, the inventor. She also agreed with Shannon Jasmine that the ship looked rather ugly in its new `suit` but she kept these to herself and continued clapping and smiling along with everybody else. 

 

The ship staggered for a few seconds then three seconds later it became perfectly still, almost as if it was stationary. The only give away that the ship was in motion was when one looked at the view screen one would see a greenish blue glow filling the whole screen. Six minutes later Challenger emerged from the conduit, which dissipated behind the ship. 

"Engineering, what`s our position?" The captain asked.

"Sector 001, captain. I mean Earth!" Seven corrected herself. There was laughter throughout the ship. Seven blushed. As they celebrated, Janeway hailed Seven.

"Hansen-Janeway to Hansen-Janeway."

"Here, Kathryn."

"Sector 001?" Kathryn laughed. She could hear her beloved laugh too through her comm badge.

"Do you have a problem with that, sister?" Seven joked. That made Janeway laugh harder.

"Not at all. Frankly i ought to purge your memories of naming Earth sector 001! I could `pencil you in` for, say, tonight for the procedure?"

"Very well, `pencil me in` for tonight." The Borg woman replied. The comm went dead as Kathryn terminated the link. Seven still had a goofy smile on her face when B`Elanna approached her and slapped her `lightly` on the shoulder.

"We did it, your Borgness!

"Ouch! Yes, Ms Klingon. We did it!" The ex drone replied and rubbed her shoulder. The two went to Leah`s station and they both slapped her `lightly` on both shoulders.

"We did it, mate!" B`Elanna and Seven said in unison.

"Yes, we did it ladies!" Leah smiled and rubbed her shoulders. The trio smiled while the chief engineer, Geordi La Forge, looked on and beamed at his fiancee, Leah Brahms.

 

Back in Gretchen`s house, the girls, their mothers, Phoebe, Irene Hansen and Peter, sat in the living room. They had just had Gretchen`s special dinner. Mashed potato, beef substitute, gravy, fresh peas, carrots, fruit. The adults had wine while the girls had a selection of all sorts of fruit juices, their favourite was mango juice. Lauren went to her admiral mother and whispered to her. She wanted to take a sip from her mother`s glass of wine.

"Mommy, you know how much i love you? I missed you so much. Your hair is so beautiful." Janeway looked at her daughter warily then at Seven. The Borg woman looked at Janeway then at the glass of wine in front of her. Janeway understood what was going on.

"I didn`t know that you liked my grey hair, Lauren, but thank you but you`ll never take my wine!" Kathryn said dryly. Lauren decided to try another tactic. She sat at the edge of her mother`s couch and started to plait her admiral mother`s hair.

"Mommy, let me plait your hair but you have to promise to give me anything i want." Janeway looked at her wife for guidance and clarification again. Seven looked at the wine glass again then at her wife.

"Lauren, you`re too old to sit in my lap. Bring your chair and come sit next to me and....you`re still not going to drink my wine!" Lauren`s face fell. She looked at her aunty, Phoebe, who shrugged her shoulder. Janeway and Seven noted that their first born seemed to be interested in adult conversations and the wine, not fruit juice. Janeway sighed internally. How was she going to handle a mature mind in a kid`s body? She had to talk with her mother and her wife soon.

 

Kathryn, Seven of Nine, Lauren, Shannon and Three, B`Elanna, Tom and Miral, Seven`s and Kathryn`s relatives all sat in the great hall at Starfleet command in San Fransisco. The four girls were going to be decorated as the youngest scientists in the Federation. Before today the youngest Federation scientist was a teenager from Amazonia, the new Federation planet in the Alpha Centauri star system. She had built a shuttle craft which ferried the admiral from the space station to the planet Amazonia a few years ago.

 

The Federation president, Jaresh Inyo, stood up from his seat. Everyone clapped and cheered. He cleared his throat and began his speech.

"The United Federation Of Planets, is today overjoyed to officially announce a few contributions made by four very special individuals. Before i announce the names i would like to present to you the inventions made. First, is the `Tricom.` What is a tricom, i hear you ask. Well, it is a combination of two devices, namely the tricorder and a communications badge. This device specifically locks on to an individual and beam them to safety. It also has medical applications. It can remove tumours from body organs. The second device the Laumir. This is a small cloaking device, a much more personal one. For centuries scientists have struggled to find how they could cause cloaking at will. The inventors say that it works on a continuous cloaking frequency using steady matter/ antimatter reaction, pretty much like a warp engine. Please do not ask me what i have just said means!" The crowd laughed. Then the president went on.

"The third is the ablative armour or the WRDB, the Water Resistant Ducky`s Back. This is a series of metallic looking devices which completely covers up a star ship as it passes through the trans warp conduit. It only took the Challenger 6 minutes to travel from the Delta Quadrant to the Alpha Quadrant. The last thing is the elimination of the Borg. The destroyer of the Borg sent us a report on how she did it. I will not read the report now because it is almost the inventors bedtime, you can all read the detailed information on the info web. Thank you." The crowd laughed and cheered.

 

Admiral Hayes and Nechayev came forward followed by four security staff. 

"I shall now announce the names of the inventors of these incredible and handy devices. The last item stated by the president is not a device, but an elimination!" The crowd laughed.

"Lauren First Prima Hansen-Janeway and Miral Paris-Torres inventors of the Laumir personal cloaking device. Please come forward." The girls stood up and walked to the stage. They turned and faced the admiral. Admiral Hayes pinned a medal to each youngster`s shoulder and shook their hands. The youngsters stood beside the admirals and the security staff.

"Shannon Jasmine Seconda Hansen-Janeway, inventor of the Tricom beaming device. Please come forward. Shannon stood and went to the front. Admiral Hayes placed a medal on her her shoulder and shook her hand.

"Three Astrid Kelly Hansen-Janeway, inventor of the ablative armour. She is also responsible of single-handedly destroying the Borg Collective. Please step forward. Three hesitated. She looked at her parents. At Janeway`s slight squeeze of her shoulder and Seven`s nod, Three got up and went forward. She stood before the admirals and Hayes placed a medal on valour on her left shoulder and another on her right. 

 

Holo imagers did their job and the EMH Dr Lewis Zimmerman also took a lot of holo imagers. Phoebe took a few shots too. 

"Now, there will be no press conference because the children`s parents will kill me for going beyond their bed times. We will arrange a press conference at a later date. Good night." There was clpping and cheering as the admirals followed by a marching military group, which appeared out of nowhere, possibly beamed in from outside the hall, stood on both sides of the aisle. Their ceremonial spears were joint overhead to create an `arch` in honour of the destroyer of the Borg and the wonderful invention she has made. They also honoured the other children for all their useful inventions which had military and medical applications.

 

As soon as they reached their seats the soldiers saluted at them, neatly turned around and smoothly marched out. The families and children went out first followed by everybody else.

 

The next few days the Hansen-Janeway`s comms systems were flooded by messages received messages asking about the devices, wanting to buy them and to offer the children advanced and enhanced education. Kathryn and Seven had already agreed to have their children`s invention patented to Starfleet, Daystrom Institute and TPG. As for the children`s education Kathryn and Seven seemed to have some trouble deciding what to do. Their opinions differed. Janeway wanted them to continue normal school so they can be with children of their own age. Seven on the other hand had no issue with the children going into accelerated, advanced or enhanced learning stating that they will adapt.

 

The following evening Janeway and her family sat in their living room with the Hansens and Gretchen and Phoebe. Irene agreed with Seven that the children will adapt to higher, enhanced education. If they stayed in the normal classes they would be bored and this may potentially harm their brilliant minds. Gretchen also agreed with Irene Hansen. Peter Hansen, Kathryn and Phoebe felt that the kids were not emotionally ready to take on more responsibility and advanced classes. They seemed to have reached an impasse. Three appeared at her Borg mother`s side.

"Mother, why don`t you ask us what we want?" Seven raised an eye brow at her wife.

"Three`s right." Kathryn said.

"Girls what do you want to do?" Phoebe asked.

"I don`t mind the enhanced classes, Mommy." Shannon shrugged her shoulder.

"What about you, Three?" Irene asked.

"I would like a challenge too." Three said.

"Lauren, darling, what do you want to do?" Gretchen wanted to know.

"I want to stay where i am. Miral is also staying." Janeway and Seven looked at each other and smiled.

"True love!" The parents said in unison.

"Am i missing something? Phoebe asked.

"Lauren is in love with Miral. They put their heads together and came up with the "Laumir" which is short for Lauren and Miral." Gretchen explained while the other adults looked at the young girl.

"I`ll be damned!" Kathryn exclaimed. Two kids came up with such an advanced invention and we were worried that they would just be doing `kids stuff!`

 

Everybody laughed. The next few days Kathryn and Seven helped their children to fill the necessary forms for the Vulcan Institute for Science where Three had chosen to go. Shannon had chosen to go to Daystrom Institute of Research. Janeway was a bit apprehensive when Three, her youngest, chose to go so far away, but deep down she knew that separation was a sign of maturity. The evidence was in what her eldest daughter had achieved in her two weeks` absence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well folks, this marks the end of the fourth installation of the `Domesticating Kathryn` series. I hope you have enjoyed reading it as i have enjoyed writing.
> 
> Your kudos and comments kept me going, they still do :)
> 
> Keep on the look out for more :)


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